


If she be worthy

by Rozilla



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Awesome Darcy Lewis, Awesome Jane Foster, Cancer, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Gen, Jane Foster is the Mighty Thor, Past Jane Foster/Thor, but that movie can kiss my arse, probably not ragnarok complient
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-27
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-12-07 18:31:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11629410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rozilla/pseuds/Rozilla
Summary: Jane Foster is in hospital, fighting cancer, but now she has been drawn into a new fight... as The Mighty Thor.





	1. Don't make this personal

**Author's Note:**

> As always, Marvel can kiss my arse.

Jane turned her head when he entered, feeling that same sore little flutter in her chest she always did when he visited. She shifted up against the pillows and gently folded down a page in her book. Thor stood in the doorway of her room, looking way too good in jeans, a t-shirt, hoodie and a denim jacket. Yeah her labido took a hit when the chemo got under way, but she was only human. He could make a onesie look sexy.

She, on the other hand, was too tired to care about the fact that she must look radically different to when he last saw her- she was practically skeletal, not to mention pale and now completely bald, including no eyebrows. She could tell that he was… scared. Scared to approach her. 

_ I must look pretty bad,  _ she thought, numbly _ it takes a lot to frighten him. _

‘Hey,’ she croaked ‘long time no see.’

‘Jane,’ he replied, quietly ‘I… I heard you collapsed.’

‘Yeah, been overdoing it lately,’ she confessed ‘on stage as well, how embarrassing.’

He shook his head ‘If you must take this course of… treatment,’ he glanced at her IV and blood pack, linked to her skin and dripping continuously ‘then you can at least rest and let it work.’

‘I’m trying,’ she told him with a little sigh ‘god, you’re worse than Darcy.’

He pulled up a chair and sat next to her. He was far too big for it.

‘Please, Jane,’ he took her other hand, the one without the catheter taped in place ‘I beg you, it does not have to be like this.’

‘Thor…’ she shut her eyes ‘can we not?’

‘Come to Asgard, let the healer examine you.’

‘Like that worked out so well last time.’

She winced, that was a low blow and the look on his face made her regret her words immediately. 

‘Sorry,’ she tried to meet his eye ‘but… I know this looks… bad. Like… really bad.’

‘That’s an understatement,’ he told her, thickly ‘I’ve probably seen worse but… it’s hard to recall anything worse than seeing you so… stricken. Especially when my people could heal you within minutes and you insist on… this.’

She blew out a breath ‘Okay, Thor, how many beds did you pass on the way to mine?’

He looked puzzled ‘Oh… more than I care to count.’

‘A lot of them have cancer just like mine,’ Jane told him ‘some worse than me, there’s another ward close by- full of children,  _ children _ , with cancer. There’s one girl, Amber, she has leukemia, which is cancer of the bone marrow. She’s ten. She wants to be an engineer, but she might lose an arm if her chemo doesn’t work. Her younger brother might have to donate healthy bone marrow, which is so painful I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, let alone a child.’

Thor said nothing.

‘You going to bring her along? What about Mr Singh just next door? He had to sell his car to try and pay for his treatment, but it is  _ not _ going to cover it. Mr Conner is opposite me, he has got lung cancer, it’s already spread and… he’s just had his husband in and he looks devastated so I’m assuming it’s not good news. There’s Melanie next door, she’s a mom, got three kids, she’s terrified that if she dies then… they’ll have no one.’

She tried to smile ‘Those are just the people I’ve talked to. There’s at least forty more people in this ward, two dozen in the children’s cancer ward. You going to take them to the Healers as well?’

Thor sat like a statue, his face downcast.

‘N… No.’

‘No, because you can’t,’ she said, sadly ‘and you can’t take me either. You can’t afford to make this personal. Why do I deserve special treatment? Cause we dated? Am I more deserving than a ten year old?’

Thor sniffed, tears spilling down his cheeks ‘Jane…’

‘Of course I’m not,’ she rubbed his fingers ‘I know you want to help me Thor but… I’m afraid I’m fighting this one with good old Earth science.’

‘I thought you said magic is a kind of science.’

She nodded ‘Well, technically Arthur C Clarke said that but… thing is, if the last few years has taught me anything, it’s that… taking science from another world  _ without understanding it _ , trying to take the easy way out… it comes with a price.’

‘Even if it is a gift?’

She nodded ‘Yeah. It has to be an exchange of equals and… god we are  _ not _ equal to you guys. We might be some day but… I wouldn’t trust the highest minds of my world with a lunch tray let alone Asgardian magic.’

‘There are wizards on your world,’ Thor told her.

‘Yeah, you told me, didn’t he used to be a surgeon?’ 

‘I believe so.’

Jane rolled her eyes ‘God they are such arrogant pricks. Trust me, I dated an MD, he said they were the frat boys of any hospital, especially Private Practice.’

‘They save lives.’

‘And they do  _ not  _ let you forget it,’ Jane laughed, before addressing him ‘look, sweetie, I… I couldn’t look my fellow humans in the eye if I got my Viking God ex-boyfriend to magic my cancer away and left children like Amber to just tough it out. I couldn’t live with that.’

He nodded, knowing he would not be able to sway her, but trying one last time. 

‘But… I can’t… I don’t want to lose you.’

‘Hey,’ Jane leaned towards him ‘I have  _ no  _ intention of letting cancer take me out. I’m not dying like this.’

The smile returned a little.

‘I’ve survived some… pretty intense stuff for a tiny fragile mortal,’ she reminded him ‘I will not let a little lump on my breast by the thing that got me.’

Thor chuckled damply ‘You are a very brave woman Jane Foster.’

‘Darcy thinks I’m crazy stupid,’ she said, reaching for a glass of water ‘her words by the way.’

‘Sounds like the Lady Darcy.’

‘Hmm,’ she took a drink before placing it back ‘but I’m… just doing the right thing, that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. My principals are ultimately all I have.’

‘I just… I am meant to save people and though we had to part… I always thought that I could at least be there to help you, even if I was no longer your…’

‘Boyfriend.’

‘Yes and… you have saved me but… When you need me most...I cannot even save you...’

‘I can save myself, with a little help from science,’ Jane leaned back again ‘that’s how I’ve always done it, even before you came along.’

He sighed ‘True.’

‘And… look, I know you feel guilty for being away so long, but that’s how  _ you’ve _ always done it, that’s your job- flying about the Nine Realms hitting things with a hammer.’

‘Hmm,’ he nodded.

‘We did the best we could but… well, it just wasn’t going to work,’ she glanced out of the window ‘I wish I figured that out sooner…. Not that I didn’t want to be with you I just… knew it wasn’t working, but I… wanted it to.’

‘As did I,’ Thor admitted ‘and… I’m sorry for… everything.’

‘You were saving the universe,’ she pointed out ‘I think that’s a good reason to disappear for months on end, though a phone call now and then wouldn’t have killed you.’

He smiled guiltily ‘I… yes.’

‘The next time you hook up with an Earth girl, top tip, call her like… ever.’

He laughed ‘I’ll bare that in mind though… it is unlikely I’ll ever need to take that advice.’

‘Why? What’s wrong with mortal women? I mean, some of us kick just as much ass as Asgardian ladies.’

He chuckled ‘Jane, the women of Midgard are some of the most fierce and beautiful creatures in the Nine Realms, but I shall most likely not court another.’

‘Oh really?’

‘No, I fear,’ he leaned in, close enough that she could smell him; old leather, hair and the ionised air of a day before a thunderstorm ‘the last one set the bar rather too high.’

She sniffed and shook her head ‘Now you’re just trying to flatter me.’

‘True, but I still mean it.’

She smiled as he leaned in to kiss her forehead and she sighed at the warmth of him. She had been so cold lately, stupid chemo, but he draped an arm over her, gently as possible. He was always so warm. 

_ Just this once _ , she promised herself, enjoying his closeness. 

 

To her surprise, he returned three days later.

 


	2. Darcy-Mom

Darcy had confiscated her phone the moment she had been admitted, because she was convinced Jane would use it to answer emails and take conference calls whilst she was meant to be resting. She had left her a stack of magazines, some books and a portable DVD player with the complete collection of Deep Space Nine and both series of Cosmos.

‘No internet until you get your platelet count up,’ she instructed.

Jane tried to count her lucky stars that she had a friend who knew her so well, but she couldn’t help how much she hated being out of the loop. She could only imagine the headlines; she had collapsed on stage in an auditorium, in front of over a hundred people and had been rushed to hospital immediately. She could only hope that at least the talk had been coherent, since she could barely remember it. Well, nothing to be done about it now, she had to suck it up and get better, according to Darcy.

She was in the middle of a DS9 episode when there was a tentative knock on the door. She glanced up, expecting a nurse, but to her surprise, there was Thor again. New set of civvies, still rocking the shabby garage band chic and smiling.

‘You’re looking much better,’ he told her, sounding relieved.

‘Hey, you’re back already?’ she pulled out an ear bud and paused the DVD ‘did… did six months pass and I didn’t notice?’

Thor laughed ‘Ouch.’

‘No seriously, I feel like I’ve been here forever,’ she insisted.

‘It has only been three days,’ he assured her, taking the same spot by her bed ‘I thought… I might see you again, once more before I part for places unknown.’

‘Ah,’ she nodded ‘well… that’s nice of you. You don’t have to any more… it’s not like we’re dating.’

‘This… is true,’ he replied, a little sadly ‘but… I would be a foolish man indeed to cut you from my life completely, especially on Midgard.’

‘Uh-huh?’

‘Uh-huh,’ he repeated, still smiling ‘I am no longer your paramour, but… could I still be considered your friend?’

She mock-frowned, not being able to resist the urge to joke the intimacy away before it began to hurt again.

‘I dunno buddy, jury’s still out on that one.’

‘How so?’

‘Well, you come to visit me again and you still didn’t bring me anything! No grapes or a box of milk duds or even a teddy bear from the gift shop?’

Thor laughter bounced off the walls, as it always did ‘The mysteries of Midgardian customs elude me once more.’

‘Yup. It’s considered a _huge_ dick move on my planet.’

‘Well, surely you are used to ‘huge dick moves’ from me by now?’

There was a choking noise from next to the bed, where a nurse had silently materialised to check Jane’s vitals. Jane tried to contain her laughter and glanced at the poor woman who had gone bright red.

‘Ignore him, he’s being a douche bag,’ she assured her.

Thor just winked at the nurse, who blushed even harder and left hurriedly, forgetting to put Jane’s chart back.

‘Seriously?’ She asked him, failing to be resolute in the face of that smile.

He shrugged unapologetically ‘Seriously.’

She rolled her eyes ‘You’re lucky you’re hot.’

‘So I’ve been told.’

He rolled his shoulders, his biceps straining the fabric of his jacket as he did. Jane sighed. She was half tempted to ask him for one last look at the gun show, but… that seemed a little exploitative.

‘I was only kidding about the gift,’ she told him ‘you don’t have to get me anything.’

‘Well, strangely enough,’ he reached into his pocket ‘close your eyes and hold out your hands.’

She frowned ‘Thor, you really don’t-’

‘I know, but I wished to. Please?’

She gave up and did as instructed ‘If this is a prank I will get Darcy to tase you again. It’s not nice to prank cancer patients.’

‘I promise this is no jest,’ he told her, as something warm and a little heavy was placed in her cupped hands. He paused a moment, too long for Jane’s liking.

‘Thor? What’s going on?’

The weight was removed, then replaced with something much lighter and far softer.

‘Open your eyes.’

She looked down and gasped.

It was a length of silken fabric, shimmering in deep blues, violets and dotted with flecks of gold.

‘Oh… it’s gorgeous,’ she managed, her holding it a little tighter, sighing at the feel of it. It seemed to trap heat at just the perfect temperature, so that it warmed the near frozen tips of her fingers almost instantly.

‘Put it on,’ he suggested ‘it’ll help with your chills.’

She gently removed her headscarf, forgetting to be self-conscious about her lack of hair for a moment, and tied the fabric about her head. It was longer than she expected, but not unyielding. In fact, it was strangely co-operative, tieing perfectly in place, almost as if it…

‘Hey,’ she said, thoughtfully ‘is this…’

‘From Asgard,’ he nodded ‘yes, a similar fabric to my cape, a responsive cloth, knowing to adapt to the needs of those who wear it.’

‘Thor… I don’t… I don’t know what to say…’

‘It suits you,’ he told her, leaning on her bed again ‘a small piece of my world.’

She blinked rapidly ‘Thank you.’

‘You’re most welcome, but… there is something else.’

She watched him reach into his pocket again, pulling out what looked like a piece of stone. It was grey, mostly smooth surfaces but with jagged edges like an uncut gem. It was dull, more like metal than rock, but he held it out to her.

‘One last gift, I promise.’

She took it, feeling that weight again, along with a warmth similar to the headscarf radiating out against her skin.

‘It’s not radioactive is it? It might give me cancer, oh, wait…’

_Goddamit Jane stop trying to be funny, he’s being super sincere._

‘It is perfectly safe,’ he told her.

‘Okay…’ she turned in in her hand ‘it’s a little heavy for it’s size, feels dense, a little warm, feels like metal rather than rock… I dunno… something about it…wait...’

She frowned and looked up at him expectantly.

‘This, Jane Foster is the gift of knowledge,’ Thor told her, with that quiet intensity he was remarkably good at for someone known for being such a loud presence.

‘So… you’re not going to tell me what it is?’

‘You’re a smart woman, still the cleverest mind on Midgard, you will figure it out I’m sure.’

‘Okay, now I know you’re just flattering me,’ Jane laughed ‘you’ve worked with Stark _and_ Banner, I am not smarter than them.’

‘You doubt the word of Thor Odinson?’

‘I do,’ Jane cocked her head.

‘Unjust!’

‘Well, tell me what it is then!’

‘No!’

She rolled her eyes ‘Okay, fine, I guess I’ll just find out on my own then.’

‘Yes, you will,’ he told her, with a happy finality, only interrupted by a nervous knock on the door. A different nurse peeped in, smiling at them both.

‘Visiting hours are nearly up Doctor Foster,’ she told them.

‘Okay, thank you,’ Jane nodded ‘he’ll go in a bit.’

As the nurse left, Thor let out a deep sigh.

‘When shall you be allowed to go home?’ He asked, serious again.

‘In a few days, with any luck,’ she glanced out the door ‘hope that other nurse comes back with my chart, otherwise I might never leave.’

‘Shall I chase it up?’

‘Well, maybe go down to the nurses’ station and turn on that Space Viking charm? Let ’em take a few selfies? That might endear them to me.’

‘Of course,’ he picked up her hand and kissed it.

‘Oh, and go see Amber, that girl I told you about? I told her I knew you and she _freaked_ out, she’s a huge fan. The nurses will show you the way.’

‘Consider it done Doctor Foster.’

She giggled ‘It’s nice to hear you call me that.’

‘Well… once I return then I will endeavour to call you that always.’

She stopped, caught by some… underlying tone in his voice. He was not great at lying or even omitting the truth and… there was tell when he tried.

‘Thor? What’s wrong?’

‘Solve that puzzle Jane,’ he said, softly ‘my gift to the world that saved me, to the woman that saved me- knowledge. Something to gain through hard work. Not the easy way out.’

She frowned ‘Seriously, what’s going on?’

‘I am to leave, to a most dangerous fight,’ he told her, trying to meet her eye ‘and… I want to set things right before I do.’

‘You’re coming back right?’

‘I intend to.’

Jane felt something land in her stomach, that stabbing, horrible nausea, worse than that after her chemo.

‘Thor…’

‘Goodbye Jane,’ he kissed between her brows ‘I… I shall return. One way or the other.’

He left her dumbstruck, frightened, but he broke into that same smile as he went down the corridor towards the nurses’ station, leaving barely any trace of how he must be feeling and how desperately scared Jane was.


	3. Objects in Space

Darcy arrived the next day, not surprised that Thor had stopped by.

‘He told me he would see you before he left,’ she said, glancing at her phone before putting it away.

‘He… he seemed really scared, like…’ Jane faltered ‘like he was sure he wasn’t coming back this time… like…’

Darcy nodded ‘Yeah, I thought that too.’

‘And there’s nothing I can do,’ she replied, quietly.

‘No,’ Darcy said, firmly ‘except get better.’

‘I am  _ trying _ ,’ Jane retorted ‘but it’s cancer Darcy, it’s not like I can just… wish myself better.’

‘I meant, rest, go to your appointments, sleep like a human and eat… something that isn’t milk duds.’

‘They’re the only things I want,’ Jane mumbled, feeling like a child being scolded.

‘Well, you need to at least try and eat something else,’ Darcy told her, arms folded.

‘Okay  _ mom _ .’

‘Damn straight,’ Darcy sniffed ‘if I have to be your mom to support you Doctor Foster, then that’s what I’ll do.’

Jane leaned back in her pillows ‘Are you planning on telling me what happened after I fainted? Or you just going to let me stew on that as well?’

Darcy huffed out a breath ‘Most people are worried about you, you got a lot of get well soon messages from people- including Tony Stark.’

‘Really?’ Jane looked surprised.

‘He sent flowers and some… techie stuff to build with.’

‘Right… well... that’s nice of him.’

‘And Culver also sent flowers, along with Helen, Betty and the staff at Kings’ Astronomy department. It’s currently making your apartment allergy central, so I put them on your balcony.’

‘Thanks,’ Jane swallowed ‘so… nothing... embarrassing happened?’

‘No, just frightening for all concerned,’ Darcy said, quietly, her voice thick and low.

Jane hesitated. Seeing Darcy cry was… uncomfortable. She didn’t know what to do. She was a terrible friend, the last person to call on for emotional support. She had no idea what to say to make everything better.

‘Doctor Bashir said I could go home tomorrow,’ Jane tried, reassuringly ‘my platelet count is as good as it’s going to get and… he said there’s no point in keeping me here.’

‘If you go home,’ Darcy begged ‘can you  _ please _ just rest?’

‘Everyone keeps telling me that.’

‘Good,’ Darcy replied.

‘Ugh, but I’m… I feel like I’m trapped in here!’ Jane growled ‘Whilst Thor’s off god-knows-where and I’m stuck in bed just… malting and puking and- what the hell do you want me to do Darcy? Be  _ grateful _ that I’m just expected to just lie here until the cancer goes away?!’

‘It’s because we care about you!’ 

Darcy’s sudden snap made Jane jump. 

‘Jesus, can you please take this seriously?! I haven’t slept in three days since you were hospitalised! I’m trying  _ so _ goddamned hard to keep you upright all these years and the least you can do is just… listen to me okay?! And stop treating me like I’m some nagging shrew! I’m-’

She stopped, horrified at her outburst and slumped, sobs breaking out ‘Sorry, I just… I’m tired. I know you feel helpless Jane, but… Jeez, join the club.’

They both sat, awkwardly, until Jane found her voice again.

‘I’m sorry too… I really appreciate you… being there. Having my back I just…’

‘Yeah I know,’ Darcy patted her hand ‘you can barely sit still normally, I wish I could just let you roam wild and free but… dude you’re just going to have to-’

‘Suck it up?’

‘Yup. Or take Thor up on that magic Asgardian mojo he’s got.’

Jane snorted ‘I already told him no like, a million times, not to mention give him a moralising Lawful Good speech about doing the right thing.’

‘Sounds about right,’ Darcy smirked and wiped away her tears ‘you’re such a nerd Foster.’

‘Besides… even if I said yes, I doubt his people would be too happy. I’m meant to be out of the picture, not knocking on his front door asking for magical cancer cure.’

‘He offered.’

‘They won’t see it that way,’ Jane sighed ‘so… looks like I’m doing this the hard way.’

‘Well, maybe being atop the moral high ground has healing powers.’

‘Here’s hoping.’

Darcy’s phone beeped with a message, which she look at and groaned ‘Okay, that’s Erik, he’s at the airport, I need to go get him.’

‘He flew out here?’

‘Yeah, he was only sorry he couldn’t come sooner, but he had the rest of the semester to see out.’

Jane winced. She had hoped Erik wouldn’t do this, the last time he tried to sit in on a Foster with cancer, he had seen her Dad waste away to nothing before his forty second birthday.

At least her Mom wasn’t around to see this. A stroke is not the worst way in the world to go by comparison… so she’d been told.

Man, genetics are a bitch.

Well, she was the only one in her family to get a Noble, so that was something. 

‘So, we’re going to pick you up tomorrow okay? Then take you straight home and put you on the couch.’

‘Okay,’ Jane thought about protesting, then remembered that perhaps, just  _ perhaps _ she could persuade Erik to help her examine the piece of metal Thor gave her… she already had a million working theories.

‘Love you Boss,’ she leaned over and kissed Jane on the forehead, leaving behind a red lipstick mark ‘like the scarf by the way.’

‘Thor gave it to me.’

‘Figures…’

Darcy left with a wave that Jane returned, before she stared up at the ceiling, wondering if there was a sane way of not thinking about how Thor was possibly never coming back.

How it was likely… he could be…

She leaned over her bed, taking the metal lump he had given her and held it in her hand, tight as she could, given that she had all the upper body strength of a newborn deer. She shut her eyes, willing herself to sleep and dreamed of space.

  
  
  
  


_ She felt cold and weightless, an amplified version of what she had been feeling since her chemo began and, yet, it did not frighten her. The majesty of space never had and never would. She knew how to feel small, it was how you gained a real perspective on things. She floated, almost as if she were no longer a solid presence, beautifully… intangible.  _

 

_ Am I dead? _

_ It wouldn’t be so bad if that were the case. If this were being dead, there’s definitely worse things to be.  _

 

_ ‘ _ Dad, do you get storms in space?’

 

‘Well, you get gas storms- when turbulent celestial gases collide they react and create a storm…’

_ Is this my life is passing before my eyes?  _

 

‘Hey Dad, what does this say?’

 

‘“Sometimes, when a star dies, its hot core radiates ultraviolet light, giving a glow to the dusty outer layers that disintegrate in space. The comets, and possibly planets, that would have been orbiting the star are suddenly tossed into each other, kicking up cosmic dust storms…’”

 

_ The heart of a dying star _ .

_ Will I get to see Dad? Is he here? _

  
  


‘There must be a lot of energy there, inside a space storm.’

‘Oh yes, can you imagine harnessing a storm?’

‘I don’t think any one can… except aliens.’

‘Hah, that’s a good point Jane-bug, yes, I expect aliens learned how to do that a long time ago…’

 

_ At these words, she realised she could see, not far away, a spiral of a storm brewing. It was like an eye, an ellipsis of deep blues and a bright red heart at it’s centre. It was both unimaginably huge and yet, too far away to really worry about. It pulled in what used to be whole worlds, now dead an abandoned, smashing them and tossing the fragments away as if they never mattered. As if living things never stood upon them. _

 

_ To Jane, it was a spectacle, but it was only her knowledge, her study, that told her of the immense heat and pressure and energy that lay at it’s heart.  _

 

‘Imagine the power of a storm.’

 

_ Yes, Jane thought, except… I’ve seen it. I know the power of a storm. I’ve seen someone wield it. I know it’s destructive force and you know that it takes a lot of control to steer it. Chaotic forces of the universe all funnelled into one place, so heavy and so compact it can only be used by one who is- _

_ “Whomsoever holds this hammer-” _

 

_ What?  _

 

_ In the distance, she heard something break, hard with a horrible crunch and a shattering sound as metal pieces were thrown apart. She heard a man cry out in anguish at something that should have been impossible. It all happened a long way away, it was as if it were whispered in her ear with no discernable source. _

 

_ Mjolnir.  _

 

_ The name meant ‘Crusher’, because, well, it’s a hammer. But, perhaps it also meant that something inside it was compacted and pressed inwards… as it would be at the heart of a disintegrating star. _

 

_ As Jane floated, something small came at an impossible speed towards her, followed by several others, like a swarm of large insects. Objects in space were generally not supposed to go quite so fast, so this… this shouldn’t be happening. Was she seeing everything at it’s correct speed? The objects grew closer as they grew nearer, forming into a shape… or rather, pieces of a shape.  _

 

_ Shards you could say. _

  
  


_ ‘I was a storm, defeated and forged into a weapon. Death cannot stop me. I choose who I serve. Only those who have touched eternity, reality, those who know it but know to respect it. Those who see it as an element as part of the universe as the rocks, the stars…’ _

 

_ That voice felt ancient, kind yet full of power. _

 

_ Jane felt gravity return in a hurry, space rushing past as she plummeted, as she reformed. _

 

_ “If they be worthy…” _

_ Jane woke up. _

 

As she heard someone screaming. 


	4. Shall possess the power of Thor.

It was muffled and far away, Jane guessed the parking lot. She got up, slowly, wincing as she forced her limbs into life and gently,  _ gently _ , pulled her drip along with her. She got to the window and glanced down. If it was someone being robbed or something she could call the Nurses’ station-

It wasn’t. She saw three- no four- large shapes, stalking the parked cars and heading towards the hospital. She couldn’t make out who they were, or more importantly  _ what _ they were, but they were big. Behind them, the air was shimmering blue as if… as if they’d just beamed here. It quickly dissipated. 

_ Oh no _ she thought, her throat tightening, stepping away from the window. She reached the phone on her bedside table and tried to steady herself long enough to dial out, then punch in the number she had once been given for the Avengers, praying it was still working-

‘ _ You have reached Avenger’s Base, this is our secure line, please enter your clearance code. _ ’

She tapped it out, carefully.

‘ _ I am sorry, that code is no longer valid. _ ’

‘Shit!’ Jane cursed.

‘ _ If you would like to leave a message, our admin team will get back to you with a new code in four to six working days. _ ’

‘Mother…’ she jumped at the beep ‘This is Jane Foster, there’s… aliens, something, outside my hospital- Pathways General, Culver, Virginia. I think they’ve used some sort of portal technology which means… Oh... for God’s sake, hurry! Send some people down here NOW!’

She put the phone down, daring one more glance out of the window. It was late at night, there were only a few people in the parking lot, but they were running and screaming for help. One poor soul wasn’t fast enough- an energy weapon came out of the darkness and the man was dead within seconds, his chest left with a gaping hole. Jane groaned and crouched under the sill.

She was a 90 pound mortal woman with cancer.

There were four of them.

At the moment, what if more arrived?

She looked at her drip and groaned. She’d always hated seeing people do this in movies, but she needed to move freely. She looked away and gently  _ gently _ pulled it out, groaning and crying out as she did so as it burned with every inch she tugged out of her arm. She dropped it on the side, using a blanket to apply pressure, wincing and getting up. Her whole arm ached painfully, but she tried to ignore it and head out the room. She bumped into a doctor almost immediately.

‘Miss Foster,’ he said, flustered ‘what are you doing?’

‘There’s… God, look in the parking lot!’

‘You must get back into bed-’

‘Shut up and look out the window!’

He rolled his eyes and went to check. His face went white and he muttered something under his breath.

‘You believe me now?’

He was about to respond, when something shook the whole hospital and echoed around the place with a soft  _ boom _ . Jane would’ve fallen over were it not for the doctor who quickly caught her.

‘You need to evacuate the hospital, immediately!’ Jane hissed ‘And… I might be able to help.’

‘How?’ He asked, skeptically.

‘Just… I think I might have something they want.’

She thought about the metal lump in her bag and shuddered. She couldn’t hand it over, what if it turned out to be something destructive?

_ Like the Aether _ ?!

She shook her head. Thor wouldn’t have given her something like the Aether? Surely? 

‘I will need to start an evacuation,’ the doctor said, distantly. 

‘Yeah… to the basement!’ Jane said suddenly ‘Do  _ not  _ lead them outside.’

‘No,’ he nodded ‘yeah that’s… a bad idea.’

‘I’ve put a call into the Avengers… whether it will work or not is up for debate obviously…’

‘You… how?’

‘Don’t worry about that just… get everyone to safety.’

Jane picked up the metal shard Thor had given her, still nestled in her covers and stuffing it into her bag, tying her scarf about her head and putting on a jacket. She had a plan. It was most likely going to get her killed. Maybe all she could provide was a distraction until the real heroes got here. Whatever, one thing she couldn’t do is sit by and do nothing. She was damned if she was going to hide away again. Maybe she’d die and  _ maybe  _ she might save these people’s lives in the process. That was more than worth it. She thought of Amber and how scared she must be.

She took one last look in the mirror. She was not a hero. She was sick. Inches away from dying.

Ho well. She'd rather die trying to help, especially when she might well be the reason those things were here.

_ She remembered the Aether with a churn to her stomach. _

No more cowering. No more hiding. Not again.

There worst motivations in the world to do something stupid.

She persuaded the poor doctor still standing there in shock that she was going to help evacuate people as she headed out. She soon realised panic was beginning to erupt around her. The nurses were rushing back and forth, patients who were able to walk were milling around, lost and confused and scared. Jane strode past with purpose, passing operating theatres, wards and stations, most people too busy running to the basement to pay her much heed. She made it to the front door.

_ Maybe I can bargain with them,  _ she thought,  _ maybe… I can persuade them to leave the hospital alone and just…  _

She got outside, the chilly night air hitting her full in the face. She was already so cold, given the chemo, but now she almost felt too frozen to move. With a deep breath, she staggered forward, jacket wrapped around her.

‘HEY!’ She called ‘HEY!’

She saw them more clearly now- they resembled something between bears and crocodiles, wearing patch work armour that  _ sort of  _ looked like that of Asgard, but rougher and scratched, maybe salvaged? She had no idea of their species. 

‘You’re looking for something right?’ She called ‘A rare metal? An artefact?’

They glared at her, their expressions resembling a smirk.

‘I have it,’ she tried to sound brave, like an authority ‘it’s in here, you can have it if you leave these people alone. It’s a hospital, only sick people here.’

‘Should be easy to take then,’ one of them grunted ‘how would you know what we seek Terran?’

_ Terran? That’s new _ , she thought. 

‘I… I have contact with Asgard. This was gifted to me-’

They all laughed, or at least it sounded like laughter. It more closely resembled a drain being unstoppered.

‘You?!’ One of them growled ‘You have uru?’

_ Uru? _ Jane realised  _ It’s uru?!  _

‘Yeah… I do,’ she held out her bag ‘and only I can use it!’

They laughed again.

‘I’m serious!’ She shouted, pulling out a scalpel she filched from a room as people fled ‘Only I can lift it, so unless you want to be stuck here with a useless hunk of metal, sitting ducks whilst the Avengers arrive to kick your asses-’

She placed the scalpel to her wrists ‘I suggest you take me with you. If you don’t leave this place, I’ll kill myself and release a deadly pathogen, that is why I am at this hospital! Because I… am contagious! If I die here, my virus will spread to you quickly, you don’t know if it’s deadly to your species or not!’

They didn’t seem to believe her.

‘Do you want to risk it?’ She asked ‘I gotta tell you, my disease sucks! You don’t want it… you might die, very painfully.’

One of them approached her slowly, face unreadable. 

‘Okay… here,’ she panicked and tossed the bag to them ‘take it.’

‘Hmm,’ they growled ‘how can we know for certain it is uru?’

‘Check,’ she told them.

_ Just grab it,  _ she thought,  _ take it and go. Don’t come near me. _

They seemed like the type that would probably burn down the hospital for kicks, but if she just kept them busy…

‘It is uru!’ The one by her bag shouted to his companions ‘She’s telling the truth.’

‘Excellent,’ the one who seemed to be the leader gurgled with laughter again.

‘So you’ll leave? Take me with you?’ Jane called again, wondering if her reflexes were up to much.

‘We could…’ the leader mused.

‘If I die, then it’s worthless,’ she said, calmly ‘just leave these people in peace. You have what you wanted, now just… let’s go.’

‘You think much of yourself girlie,’ the leader sneered.

‘Yeah, so I’ve been told,’ Jane looked about for any sign of approaching Avengers ‘There’s nothing in the hospital, there’s more people who have my disease! It’s a plague! You’ll only-’

With a speed horrifically mismatched to their size, the one by the bag lifted her up the ground by her throat.

‘You lie girl,’ he snarled ‘and we’re not afraid of diseases we cannot catch. You’ve just handed us a valuable metal and nothing need stop us killing everyone in tha-’

Jane managed to swing with the scalpel, catching it in the eyes. It roared out in pain and dropped her to the ground. She heard something crack and pain flooded every sense she had.

‘You little-!’ One of them growled and she saw the movement of a gun swing round to her direction. She felt nothing when it hit her. Strangely. One minute her world was full of the pain of what was probably a broken arm, the next?

Nothing.

 

_ Whomsoever holds this hammer. _

 

__ __ _ If she be worthy. _

  
  


She felt the storm crackle in her veins, knitting her bones together and breathing life into her lungs. It was like emerging into warm, healing light. She hadn’t felt this alive, this strong… well, ever, but after months of being poisoned, months of vomiting and being in and out of a hospital bed… this felt like being born again.

 

**_Shall possess the power of Thor._ **

 

She jolted awake. 

 

And stood up.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the last one!

 

She unfolded like a blooming flower and the ensuing battle it came as naturally as breathing. Her fist swung, heavy with a weight that felt balanced and controlled. It gained momentum until it hit like a planet. The force of the storm carried it forward through blood, matter and bone until the creature fell to the ground, headless. She stood, breathing hard, teeth bared and arms tensing for a battle. She heard her own voice as if from a distance.

‘Who’s next?’ She growled.

The group gaped for only a moment before taking aim again. Jane called up into the sky, where the electricity crackled and formed about her. It heeded her call and shot forward, bringing the fury of lighting, hot and angry. They danced, briefly, before falling to the ground in heaps of charred flesh. Jane drew back, to see if she’d missed anyone. The bloodlust filled her, felt like it flowed in her very veins, itching for a fight, but it seemed there was no one left. No one left to punch. She took out the last of what she imagined was a berserker like rage on a nearby car, launching it into a spin before it collided with another, the car alarms kicking in along with the crunch of metal and glass. She roared into the night.

Then, it began to ebb away, her mind bringing her back to what was happening and when she regained her senses, it came like a rush.

_ How did I get taller?  _ She asked herself, a little voice speaking up as the storm receded  _ And… what am I holding? _

She stared at her right fist that clenched around-

‘Holy shit,’ she breathed.

It was Mjolnir. 

‘Wait,’ she coughed ‘my voice…’

It was a little deeper, closer to that of an Asgardian. She touched her throat, then her arms, now thick with muscle, one guarded with a vambrace that reached her elbow. She glanced about herself, where armour had formed- a breastplate, a thick leather girdle, a cape and when she touched her face, she realised that she was wearing a helmet. It covered her head and down to the nose.

‘I have a mask,’ she said to herself ‘I...I’m…’

She had hair, she felt it tickle the back of her neck. It was long, thick and  _ blonde _ .  _ Of course, _ she reasoned with a sardonic laugh,  _ why not? _

The laugh just grew and grew until she was nearly doubled up.

_ What the hell was going on? _

She heard a commotion, drawing closer, a babble of human voices. She looked up, trying to compose herself as a group of civilians just looked at her.

 

‘Is that Thor?’

‘Nah, Thor’s a dude!’

‘She’s got the hammer!’

 

‘Maybe it’s like an alien thing, like they can just change gender at random?’

 

Jane swallowed and tried to speak in what she hoped was a heroic manner.

‘Be calm,’ she told them, suddenly feeling utterly ridiculous ‘the aliens have been vanquished, but I would advise you keep your distance until the authorities get here!’

‘Who are you?’ Someone called from the crowd. She straightened up, trying to think of the answer.

Only one came to mind.

‘I… I am Thor.’

The whispers started anew, there were camera phones out now. 

_ Ho boy _ , she thought, with a panic as they all trained on her  _ for God’s sakes Jane say something badass!  _

‘I am Thor, Goddess of Thunder,’ she declared ‘I have been deemed worthy until… further notice.’

‘Are you the original Thor? Are you really a dude?’

There was some uneasy laughter until Jane almost by instinct raised the hammer again. The crowd winced as a whole and she lowered it, placatingly. Implied misgendering wasn’t quite enough to earn a smack with a magic hammer. Well, maybe. 

‘No,’ she declared ‘I am not Thor Odinson. I am… Thor.’

‘That’s  _ his  _ name!’ Someone cried.

‘It is,’ Jane agreed, a little sadly, when she suddenly thought about Thor, the re- old one. What had happened to him? Was he unworthy now? Was he…?

‘But until Mjolnir,’ she held it up ‘decides otherwise, I shall possess the power of Thor and I shall be the Goddess of Thunder. I shall bring that power in my wake to all that mean your world harm. You can rely on my protection.’

_ Let’s hope that was as awesome out loud as it was in my head _ , Jane thought. 

‘Hold it!’ 

She turned as, to her annoyance, the familiar red and gold of an Iron Man suit arrived, thumping down on the ground behind her. 

‘You took your time,’ she told it. She assumed it to be remote controlled. It probably didn’t have Tony Stark in there. He wouldn’t come out all this way this quickly.

‘Lady,’ it said in Tony Stark’s tinny yet recognisable voice, lifting a palm, lit up to fire ‘you have a lot of explaining to do.’

Jane glared. Oh she was spoiling to punch something, but she had to be diplomatic.

‘Listen well,’ she said, calmly ‘in case it had escaped your attention, I just saved the lives of those in this hospital and there are four rather dead villains at my feet. I will thank you for taking that unfriendly tone and shoving it up-’

‘Who are you?’ Tony said, remotely and pointing at Mjolnir ‘And what’re you doing with that?’

‘Just now? Hitting things,’ Jane told him. A few laughs came from the crowd. They were almost certainly filming this whole thing. Good thing she had the mask.

‘As for who I am… I already told these good people, I am Thor.’

‘Uhhh…’ Tony began ‘Sorry, you’re not. Last I checked, Thor was a-’

‘Man, yes, I am aware,’ Jane sighed internally ‘but as of now, he is not in possession of Mjolnir. I am.’

_ My dream. It shattered. I felt it. _

_ How did it get here then? _

‘Well, I can see that,’ Tony agreed ‘but… what’s happened? What happened to him?’

‘That… I do not know,’ Jane felt that awful pull in her gut ‘I fear the worst.’

‘You’re not responsible right?’

‘Of course not!’ Jane retorted, now angry ‘And if you imply that once more, Stark, I will launch this hammer at your face.’

‘You know who I am then,’ the suit almost laughed ‘you a local?’

_ Shit,  _ Jane cursed.

‘Possibly,’ she shrugged, as cool as she could be ‘but it matters not who lies behind this helm, what matters is that I only wish to help. You must find the source of this portal.’

‘Oh I must?’ 

‘Or you can pretend it did not happen,’ Jane snapped ‘and  _ I  _ shall find its cause.’

‘Just a minute!’

She needed to leave. Like,  _ now _ . 

‘I must go,’ she told him ‘if you feel like trusting me, I shall fight alongside you as my predecessor once did, but until then…’

She took the hammer by the strap and began to spin. 

‘Farewell Stark.’

_ Okay, what do I do- _

The momentum was back and she swung it into the sky. She took off, the hammer pulling her away like the tail of a comet, the people and the suit on the ground becoming a blur of noise and cut off shouts. 

‘Oh HEL YES!’

She soared up and up and up until…

Until she stopped, surrounded by clouds, the stars brighter and the sky darker. 

_ Did I leave orbit? _ She asked herself. No, she was just quite high up, still in the atmosphere. The air should be too thin to breathe, she should be freezing up, but she felt only joy and triumph and a thrill in her whole self. She was warm, still thriving with this new power. She looked down, perfectly still in the air, hovering above the whole world.

_ Now  _ this  _ I can get used to _ , she thought,  _ God I cannot give this up. Why would you ever go back again? _

For a moment, she thought the suit or perhaps someone else might follow her up, but she knew enough about the Iron Man armour to know that it could not survive this high up. She was free up here.

_ Maybe,  _ she thought, excitement rising  _ maybe I could… go higher?  _

_ Maybe… leave? Just go?  _

_ Go into the stars? Leave Earth? _

The thought was too tempting, the excitement palpable… but she thought of Darcy. 

Word would have gotten out by now, she’d be worried. She’d almost certainly be driving over. Jane glanced to the hammer.

‘I must return,’ she told it ‘but… can I be Jane again? Just for a while?’

_ I’m talking to a hammer, _ she thought,  _ because that’s the least crazy thing to have happened tonight. _

It grew warm in her hand and she felt a flood of understanding. 

‘I am still Jane,’ she told it and herself ‘I am just… a little more than that.’

She made a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the cliff hanger, but that's all I feel like writing for now TBH.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't intend to continue this beyond the chapters I've written... well, never say NEVER but... eh, probably not.


End file.
